Donald Trump the Megathread part II - Mod Warning updated in OP 12/2/26

ilkhanid · 21-05-2026 01:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124487033#Comment_124487033

Here you are.

RoyalCelt · 21-05-2026 02:24PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124486660#Comment_124486660

Paris and Russia likewise.

There was still a big issue with FIFA block booking every hotel in a central location, years in advance which would leave the few remaining locations at extortionate prices.

But the least the host nation can do is put on fan buses and trains. Free or heavily discounted for ticket holders.

Russia had free metros for ticket holders and they even put on night train's with beds so fans travelling say 5 Hours from one city to another could travel at night, get a decent kip and arrive first thing in the morning to your new destination. You basically save on a nights accomodation too.

I'm not seeing any of this for the world cup in America.

everlast75 · 21-05-2026 02:32PM

I may have been living under a rock, but I heard the term "late-stage capitalism" yesterday and looked up what it meant.

Seems appropriate here...

Late-stage capitalism is a sociological and economic term used to describe the contemporary, post-industrial phase of the capitalist system. It captures the widespread feeling that the economy is increasingly disconnected from the needs of everyday people, characterized by extreme wealth inequality, unchecked corporate power, and relentless commercialization

amandstu · 21-05-2026 02:42PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124487614#Comment_124487614

What about "late stage democracy"?

Someone else had the thought

https://www.reddit.com/r/IdeologyPolls/comments/12t0phg/i_propose_new_term_late_stage_democracy/

midlander12 · 21-05-2026 02:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124486581#Comment_124486581

Fitzpatrick was unopposed in his primary so there's not much Trump can do to him at this stage. He may lose his seat to the Dems, of course.

Grayson · 21-05-2026 02:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124487614#Comment_124487614

add to that enshittification. Another term that describes the time we're in.

amandstu · 21-05-2026 02:54PM

So is there some kind of a quid pro quo /arm wrestling vis a vis Taiwan and Cuba showing up as China becomes a little more assertive towards America's pressure on Cuba?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clype0x7pkgo

midlander12 · 21-05-2026 02:55PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124486778#Comment_124486778

While there are always grounds for suspicions with the likes of Trump and Musk, she'd need to show some actual evidence. How much of it is just boastful nonsense from two egomaniacs? OTOH, few of us us would be confident that the US election system is resilient against the sort of manipulation that Musk is certainly capable of attempting.

In the absence of some hard evidence, I'm assuming the former.

AbusesToilets · 21-05-2026 03:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124487692#Comment_124487692

That ties back to the data analytics of the vote distribution linked to previously, that shows clear evidence of manipulation, at least to the extend that I understand the explanation.

eire4 · 21-05-2026 04:04PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124487033#Comment_124487033

For sure. Personally I hope the World Cup Finals are a great success for Mexico and Canada but the US I hope they flop.

midlander12 · 21-05-2026 04:11PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124487846#Comment_124487846

The Cambridge Analytica stuff? I'm not pooh-poohing the whole notion, but she'll need to come up with something more solid than 'Elon told me…..' while putting on her makeup.

ArmaniJeanss · 21-05-2026 04:29PM

In defence of some US World Cup venues.

In Philly you can travel to the games on the subway for $3.
Kansas City. Free Airport<→>City shuttles, and $15 buses to the stadium. A tourist bus ticket to see 'the sights' is $5 a day.
A 2026 World Cup that doesn’t rip off fans? Some cities are showing that it’s possible | World Cup 2026 | The Guardian

New York, Boston and LA seem to the extreme ones for the gouging.

Stanley 1 · 21-05-2026 04:43PM

Trump’s plan to steal the midterms exposed

“If you are an insurrectionist, or insurrection curious, you know Trump will pardon you of your federal crimes,” notes Beutler. “You also know he will abuse his power to help you if you get in trouble at the state level. If that’s not enough to make you overcome your misgivings, he can offer you money from his slush fund. That right there is enough incentive for a bunch of miniature January 6-style riots at swing-district polling places or counting centers. But it gets worse.” Beutler explains that insurrection-friendly lawyers, state officials, and judges will be more likely to promote the president’s steal knowing they will have his political backing and potentially his top-dollar payoffs."

So Trump buys them all off, through money and pardons, ICE guys will go crazy with this type of mandate, who thinks up this type of situation - Miller, Bannon maybe Blanche.

randd1 · 21-05-2026 04:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124487934#Comment_124487934

Wait until the Olympics kick off in two years time.

The gouging will be epic.

Especially as the US might be broke by then because of Trump.

AbusesToilets · 21-05-2026 04:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124487890#Comment_124487890

no, the work being done by the Election Truth Alliance folks.

https://electiontruthalliance.org/

Frank Bullitt · 21-05-2026 05:41PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124487869#Comment_124487869

Seeing all the stuff pop up around the city is great. City Hall is getting covered in a wrap for it, and they have turned Science World into a giant football. I live in Vancouver BTW.

I will post photos at some point.

MoodeRator · 21-05-2026 06:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124488114#Comment_124488114

Any idea on cheapest place to get tickets for games in Vancouver?

For Forks Sake · 21-05-2026 06:09PM

The obvious follow up question would be "do you actually know which son is getting married?"

https://twitter.com/i/status/2057500004991009220

Frank Bullitt · 21-05-2026 06:17PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124488187#Comment_124488187

You have to enter a lottery for them here I think, a few work pals got some for around $300CAD

Tony EH · 21-05-2026 06:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124488194#Comment_124488194

The obvious follow up question would be "do you actually know which son is getting married?"

Or "When's your next round of golf?"

Cody montana · 21-05-2026 06:29PM

Gas Prices Hit $4+ in All 50 States for First Time Since 2022, National Average Climbs to $4.56 — AAA

Going well I see.

fritzelly · 21-05-2026 06:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124488241#Comment_124488241

Or how long have you known him

eire4 · 21-05-2026 06:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124488114#Comment_124488114

Was in Montreal and Quebec City a couple of summers ago and had a wonderful time. Vancouver is definitely on my list to visit too as is Nova Scotia on the other side. My World Cup Finals ideal would have been Ireland qualified and get drawn to play games in Canada as I would have for sure gone. But neither happened sadly. I did say before we lost the playoff that if we qualified there is no chance I was going to watch Ireland play in Atlanta which is where one of our group games would have been. I boycott buying American these days as much as possible so no way would I have gone to Atlanta for the World Cup Finals either.

LambshankRedemption · 21-05-2026 07:10PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124486855#Comment_124486855

When Elon says "I can do blah", what he really means is I employ about 30,000 engineers who would do blah for me if I asked/told them to.

His past record doesn't suggest he has that sort of technological ability.

He is very smart though. Bat sh!t crazy, but very smart.

From wikipedia:

Musk's preference for Microsoft software over Unix…

Further proof he is hopping mad.

dePeatrick · 21-05-2026 07:48PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124488323#Comment_124488323

While Musk remains a self-professed PC gamer and long-time Windows fan, his engineering teams at Tesla and SpaceX rely heavily on customized, secure Linux distributions to run critical infrastructure and rockets. [1, 2]

midlander12 · 21-05-2026 07:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124487978#Comment_124487978

This is probably very interesting, but sadly written in such technical jargon that I can only guess what they actually mean.

Heat maps for 2016–2024 show elongation toward the upper-right quadrant (high turnout combined with high vote share for one candidate), a recognized indicator of potential manipulation in international election forensics literature (Klimek et al. 2012). The 1984 heat map showed no such elongation.

????

I cannot figure out if they're saying the GOP is better at getting their voters out, or whether they're allegedly inflating turnout to increase the vote for their candidates, and if the latter, how. I did note the reference to 'vulnerabilities included the ability to install vote-altering malware both locally and remotely through election definition files. The remote method is particularly significant since it could propagate malware across all ballot marking devices (BMDs) in a county or an entire state from a central point.'

Ozymandius2011 · 21-05-2026 08:35PM

CNN reporting tense meeting between Acting AG Todd Blanche and Republican Senators over the weaponisation fund.

Despite Trump allies continuing to win Republican primaries, a new poll shows 65% in Tennessee, a deep Red state that hasn't voted Democrat for president since 1996. are opposed to withdrawing from NATO. Trump has 49% approval in Tennessee. 78% say America should be less involved in international conflicts and focus on problems at home. 80% say Trump should not have the power to reshape the US government, even if it means ignoring rulings from Federal and Supreme Court. But 58% of Tennesseans support Trumps mass deportation policies.

In April, Vanderbilt University’s Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions surveyed over 1,200 registered Tennessee voters on the economy, government, and other issues.
A recent survey shows that 49% of voters disapprove of President Trump, a five-point increase since last November. Meanwhile, his approval rating stands at 49%, the lowest among Tennessee voters since 2017.
Disapproval is linked to high stress over the cost of living and to policies Trump has championed.
43% of Tennesseans have a negative view of Trump’s tariff policies
65% disapprove of withdrawing from NATO and similar military alliances
78% said the U.S. should be less involved in international conflicts and focus on problems at home
80% percent of voters said Trump should not have the power to reshape the U.S. government, even if that means ignoring rulings from federal courts and the Supreme Court
Most Tennesseans support Trump's mass deportation policies, with 58% in favor of deporting individuals living in the U.S. illegally.

AbusesToilets · 21-05-2026 08:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124488415#Comment_124488415

They're saying these heat maps are indicative of manipulation of the voting tabulation machines. From memory their videos that I watched, it points to an algorithmic process that says after say 60% of the votes have been counted, all or a majority of votes afterwards will go to one candidate/ party. They compare the distribution patterns for the 2024 election against ones from Russia that we know were manipulated and they're very similar.

The "How" portion ties back the companies that manage the voting machines having tight connections to Thiel and other techno-fascist types, and the complete opacity with regards software updates. Essentially, this algorithm could have been in place before the elections, and could potentially execute with or without remote access. The fact that Trump won all of the swing districts, something like 82, which not even Reagan in 84 managed, should've immediately raised suspicion. Multiple parties were urging Harris to demand recounts, due to the dodgy nature of results.

Igotadose · 21-05-2026 08:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124488491#Comment_124488491

Worse than 'the fund' is the 'now and forever audit-free life for TrumpCo'. That latter is, well, the legal equivalent of vomit-inducing. What the absolute F**K is that about, how could it get into court, how could it be approved as part of a settlement, etc. It shouldn't have entered into anyone's thinking to make such a proposal, yet to carry it through? As if it won't be challenged? And millions won't be spent on undoing it?

A Judge has to approve settlements, and they can be challenged, but this is so loony-toonez out there it makes me want to open the bourbon again (and that's been a long time.)

Really, the best thing to do about America these days is estrange yourself. Can't see anything but the wheels coming off, barring any changes, around the midterms when the last pretense of democracy is somehow perverted.

As for the slush fund, it's just a distraction for the audit-free life (like, it includes Trump's children, too. WTAF? They're all functional adults making their own decisions and should be judged independently.)

Never ever will the be a bottom to the barrel Trump's dragging America and the world into.

amacca · 21-05-2026 08:55PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124487435#Comment_124487435

Or .....Lurch from one crisis to the next hoping to create the kind of instability that keeps him in power and not facing consequences ....

Donald Trump the Megathread part II - Mod Warning updated in OP 12/2/26

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